Shake it up, baby: Lexington orchestra takes on The Beatles with ‘Twist & Shout’

Who does Mélisse Brunet think of when discussing the music of the Beatles?

Who else? Mozart.

It’s not that there are stylistic similarities between the leaders of the 1960s British pop invasion and the vanguard 18th century composer. What links them for her is what each did in such a contained period of time.

For the Beatles, whose music Brunet will lead the Lexington Philharmonic through for a program titled “Twist & Shout” this weekend at the Singletary Center for the Arts, a revolutionary music catalog reflecting a rapidly maturing sense of songcraft was created and closed within a scant seven years (1963-1970.) For Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, despite having composed during childhood, his most acclaimed orchestral, operatic and chamber works all surfaced within the last decade of his short life (he died in 1791 at the age of 35).

“It was such a short span that The Beatles created so many great songs,” Brunet said. “That’s what kind of reminds me of Mozart, who wrote so much music, but died so young. The productivity they had and also how much their music changed in such a short amount of time is amazing to me.”

In the 60-plus years since the earliest hits of The Beatles began to permeate pop charts around the world, artists representing multiple genres — classical, jazz, country and more — have offered myriad interpretations. That an orchestra would choose to take on such a repertoire — in LexPhil’s case, their own twist for “Twist & Shout” — seems only natural as the band’s swift stylistic evolution incorporated the use of strings and, eventually, full orchestral arrangements.

A prime early example, which will be part of this weekend’s concert, is “Eleanor Rigby,” a 1966 Beatles hit that strayed far from conventional pop/rock frameworks into more stately and somber territory — narratively as well as musically. None of The Beatles played any instruments on the song. Instead, coloring lead vocals by Paul McCartney and harmonies by John Lennon and George Harrison was a double string quartet arrangement written and conducted by producer George Martin. Long dubbed “The Fifth Beatle” and enamored of music by Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Cole Porter, Martin served as a guiding voice for nearly all of the band’s studio recordings.

“The common point between all of the Beatles’ songs is the creativity and kind of out-of-the-box topics and accompaniment,” Brunet said. “They were always open-minded to trying things. I think that always fits well with orchestra music. The fact that their songs were not written for an orchestra at first ... well, you can always fine good accompaniment because their music has that sort of universality that transmits very well to an orchestra.

“In the case of ‘Eleanor Rigby,’ you have that double string quartet accompaniment. That was new for the time, but you basically can do that on any of their other songs. You just need someone like George Martin who had the creativity and the vision.”

Unlike Pink Floyd, a favorite band of Brunet whose songs LexPhil performed for a Pops concert a year ago, the Beatles landed more on the periphery of the music she experienced growing up.

“In my background, they figured more in the shadows, I would say. My parents had some vinyls at home, but I was listening to a lot of different music. I heard The Beatles mostly on the radio and at parties as a teenager. Very often, I would hear their music not knowing who the band was, but thinking, ‘This is so cool. I love the arrangement.’

“I was very comfortable with the music of Pink Floyd, but still I wanted to know more. So, for the Beatles, I wanted to discover more about them, as well. The scores are speaking for themselves, but I really wanted to discover more about what is behind the songs, more about the band. That meant listening a lot more to their music.

“I take this as seriously as when a concert is ‘classical music.’ Meaning, if I have to conduct ‘La Mer’ by Debussy (which Brunet did with LexPhil last season), it involved the same research I’m doing with the Beatles right now. That’s very exciting for me, actually. I love discovering this style of playing and how we can get the sound that would be the closest to The Beatles but with a symphony orchestra, as well.”

LexPhil will get some help for “Twist & Shout” from some of the same guest artists and vocalists that assisted its “Back to the ’80s” concert for Picnic at the Pops last August.

“Pops concerts are essential,” Brunet said. “For me, there is not a bad musical art form. I love hip hop. I love reggae. I love about anything. I get things from all of those art forms. It’s a great luxury that orchestras can perform this music, as well. And we should perform it and share it with an audience. It’s part of what we do, which is bringing music for everyone in the community. It means we provide art of all styles to show that, ‘Oh, actually, an orchestra is cool.’

“It’s important for us to bring music to everyone and make sure everyone finds pleasure in that. For example, there’s the Andrea Bocelli concert (presented in December at Rupp Arena, where the Philharmonic performed alongside the famed Italian tenor.) It was important for LexPhil to be onstage and perform with Bocelli. It’s very unique. An orchestra sound adds a lot. It’s just a different perspective that people are going to experience. It’s a bigger sound.”

This weekend’s concert will mark the first time Brunet has conducted a program of Beatles music. Does she feel her recent immersion into their pop world has taken her out of the shadows where Beatles music once sat for her?

“I’m discovering a lot about how the Beatles worked together, what their environment was like, the meaning of the songs and their styles, so I feel very nourished right now. This music builds bridges to other art forms and other pieces, so I’m very thankful that we have this show to present.

“For a very long time, I was thinking, ‘Okay, I want to discover more about the music of The Beatles.’ Now, the opportunity is here. It’s a bit for me like Wagner. I have not performed much Wagner, but I know one day I would like to dive into it. It’s a bit of the same with the Beatles.”

Lexington Philharmonic: “Twist & Shout – The Music of The Beatles, A Symphony Experience”

When: Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Singletary Center for the Arts, 405 Rose St.

Tickets: $28-$78 adults, $11 youth and students

Online: lexphil.org